On Moriarty

In my previous post, I mentioned how Vincent always plays a great role regardless of the quality of the film he's in. Admittedly, I only went into detail about where "Sherlock: Case of Evil" was less than stellar. So for this post, now the fun part: why Vincent was great as Moriarty.

Despite his very limited screen time, Moriarty is memorable as a classic archvillain. Why? Time for a list!

1. Badass taste in clothing. Moriarty dresses more uniquely than any other character in the film. Whether he's faking his own death, shooting Sherlock full of heroin, or having a swordfight, Moriarty dresses to the nines in top hats, silk cravats, patterned vests, and an overcoat big enough to double as a parachute. Oh yeah, and don't forget the sideburns.



2. Evil monologues. No villain is truly classic unless he gives evil speeches detailing his plans for world domination or announcing that he is about to do something. Even Sherlock knows this. Below, from the movie:

Moriarty: I’m sure you’ll be interested in my latest discovery.
Sherlock: A new alkaloid of morphine, perhaps?
Moriarty: Again, I’m impressed.
Sherlock: Dr. Watson found traces in the brain stems of each of your victims.
Moriarty: Seems your newfound friend is not as dull as he looks. Did he tell you how the drug worked?
Sherlock: No. But I’m sure you’re going to.

Oh, and he does. Then he shoots a syringe-ful of it into Sherlock in the name of science.

Which brings me to,


3. Ego. Moriarty can never do anything the easy way; he likes to show off. Faking his own death, having opium dealers murdered yet purposely leaving clues behind, trying to kill Sherlock slowly with heroin when a bullet is much more effective . . . all parts of an elaborate master plan to make money and assert himself as a criminal genius. But mostly, he seems to enjoy being brilliant and rubbing Sherlock’s nose in it.



4. Theatrical Idiosyncrasies. Giant overcoat aside, Moriarty behaves larger-than-life.

The way he enters a room,

holds a syringe in his mouth,


cocks an eyebrow,

holds his hands out,

and even how he stands

makes him wonderfully memorable and a classic archvillain.

And finally,


5. Unkillable. With more lives than a cat, archvillains refuse to die, and Moriarty is no exception. Over the course of an hour and a half long film, Moriarty gets shot, falls into a sewer, gets shot again, gets stabbed, and falls out a clock tower. But you just know that he’ll be back. Again and again and again. Like Nicole Wallace but so much more fun to watch.